GeekLikeMe

Monday: December 4, 2006

As a Westchester resident working in Manhattan, I often opt to take mass transit to get into the city (parking can be an expensive venture anyway). Over the years I have mentally formed a list with the types of people that generally annoy me during said morning commute. But before reading further, I urge you to use your imagination and visualize yourself sitting next to these types of people in an enclosed space for an undisclosed amount of time on a daily basis.

The Untouchable

To kick off this list I will begin with the category of commuter that I myself fit into - I like to call them (and myself) the 'untouchables'. And no, I am not referring to the Sean Connery and Kevin Costner type of untouchable. This is a group of people who literally does not want to be touched in any way shape or form. This type of commuter does not want to have any part of another individual whilst riding the train. They (or we, I should properly say as I do consider myself part of the group) just want to be left alone and as previously stated, untouched. They will sometimes sit in dark places of the train in an effort to have other commuters avoid sitting next to them. In the event that another passenger decides to sit next to this type of person, they will cower as close to whatever opposite side they can find for aversion. Again, I can sympathize with this group or else I wouldn't have written this article on a train... by myself.

The Discourteous Seat Requester

This classification of is directed to the type of morning train rider who will strive to sit in the seat next to you (much to the dismay of 'the untouchable'). This act will most of the time cause you to have to get up to make way for said rider to sit in the window seat (or aisle sit depending on your preference). Now this is not the core of the problem - people should be able to sit wherever they please, and furthermore I am more than happy to oblige a seat if none are available. However, if you want to sit next to me but don't want to bother asking for the seat then I have a reason to have some discourse with you. Simply staring at me to a point that it is both uncomfortable for you and I will not get you the desired seating space next to me nor will it make me move. Grunting doesn't work either. Be a human and say 'excuse me' (your mommy would be proud).

The Spacetaker

The Spacetaker is primarily and definitively the type of individual who has to have all of their personal belongings strewn across your seat and their seat for no apparent reason. These items may include but are not limited to jackets, purses, laptop bags, newspapers and so on. These items will make their way into your personal seating space and the owner who happens to be sitting RIGHT NEXT TO YOU will not even bat an eye (or say 'excuse me'). This is why we have overhead racks. Put your stuff up there before I kill you.

The Newspaper Man (Spacetaker Part II)

This designation of commuter was originally set to go along with the previous type, but after some careful thinking I decided they would best be split into two different classes. The Newspaper Man's sole job is to read the New York Times (or any other major periodical for that matter) full spread. By doing so, they basically take up a third of your personal space simply so they can read two pages of their morning news at once. This is annoying and it needs to stop. I don't care how important the morning paper is to you. Fold your newspaper over one way and leave what little shred of personal space I have alone. You can take more of the information in if you focus on one page at a time anyway, genius.

The Smelly Food Eater

In the world of business sometimes there just isn't room for breakfast. I can totally understand that being a morning commuter myself. Sometimes there really is no time to grab a quick bite in the morning. There is however, a type of commuter who can somehow find the time for food and will proceed to dine on their breakfast for the entire duration of the train ride. Now I'm not referring to the NutriGrain Bar or even the buttered bagel guy. I'm talking about the person who sits right next to you and proceeds to unwrap a greasy, runny, overly smelly egg sandwich and eat it gingerly at their own pace. To top it off, there are no windows to open to allow for proper ventilation so the smell recycles itself throughout the train. And this is the type of smell that if not mentally or physically prepared for, will make you sick. I would like to say thanks to this type of commuter for their continued contribution to an unhealthy air supply. By the way, you have a piece of scrambled egg with ketchup plastered to your chin and you look like a total idiot.

The Sniffler

Another giant annoyance of mine while riding the train in the morning is a classification of a passenger that I like to call 'The Sniffler'. This is the type of person who either doesn't know what tissues are for or how to use them in any way shape or form. The end result is a lovely, loud, disgusting snorting sound that every single passenger can hear distinctly for the duration of the commute. Other passengers will frequently toss dirty looks at The Sniffler, but those looks will simply be ignored and the snorts, sniffles and wheezes will continue to pour out of their nostrils. The only way to end the reign of terror brought on by this commuter is to exit the train. Do us all a favor and buy a box of tissues (and learn how to use them), Captain Snorts-a-lot.

The Jibber-jabber

Since one can usually get pretty decent cell phone reception on a commuter train, some enterprising passengers will take advantage of this to the maximum. Now having a quick cell phone conversation is one thing but speaking so loudly that the entire train can hear you is another. And yet again, tossing a disapproving look to the person carries no effect either. They just continue to go along thinking that we all care what's going on in their personal bubble. Look, I really don't want or need to know that your doctor thinks you should have your third nipple removed. I'm sure the rest of us didn't need to know either. Turn down the volume or hang up your phone. This also applies to passengers who insist on having abnormally loud conversations regarding karaoke bars and daytime television talk shows as well.

The Loud Music Listener

I am a card carrying iPod user on my daily morning commutes. I can't imagine riding into the city on a daily basis without this device. Turns out that I am not the only one who relies on music to get them through the morning commute. This of course is in regards to people who have to play their iPods (or whatever other personal music device you can think of) with volume so loud that it must cause their ears to bleed (or at least I hope it does). Music that pours through their headphones so loudly that other people wearing headphones listening to their own music (like me) can hear. You are going to go deaf, really, they've done studies on this - pick up a trade magazine next time and read this for yourself. Give your ears some rest, they will need it. I also hate to mention it but the entire train now knows that you listen to Flock of Seagulls - repeatedly.

So that about sums it up. Was there a type of commuter that was left off this list? Share your own thoughts by writing a comment on this post. Other general commuting horror stories are welcome as well.

Tuesday: January 8, 2013

I'm not sure if I should be proud or just plain sad to say that I've only completed five of the ten games on this list. Oh whatever, I'm proud - those were good times. For those of you who would like to relive the Super Nintendo glory days check out the OpenEmu project. It's a fantastic iTunes-like emulator for Mac that is currently under development (thanks Ant).

Thursday: December 1, 2011

This is a blog documenting new adventures of old childhood toys. It could be a commentary on how our own lives have changed as adults, plain good fun or both. You can also submit your own posts if you have a quick story to tell. Enjoy!

Tuesday: November 8, 2011

Name: Anthony (aka Alpha to an Ant)How Anthony feels today: Ebullient @ 3:31:44 PMWhat Anthony really wants today: To go to sleep as its after 11pm where I am right now. Can I say what I want for tomorrow?

Music Stuck in Head: Jeremy Enigk - Been Here BeforeIts the lead singer of Sunny Day Real Estate doing solo work where he plays almost every instrument himself, composes everything... Its beautiful stuff. This guy is a hero of mine

Stuff to do today:

play around with base64 encoded images

prove that sprites are still more efficient than base64 from a page performnace perspective

avoid meetings in NY office because I am 7 hours ahead

Joke that i living in the future to my friends in NY

Learn more about Microformats and create a plan to implement some updates to current ones on our websites

Monday: August 15, 2011

While chess is often thought of as a mathematical game, experts say the real contest is often a psychological one, in which players scrutinize one another for subtle cues and tendencies that predict behavior and reveal weaknesses. As Soviet chess trainer Mark Dvoretsky once noted: 'The opponent makes an apparently innocent move, but for some reason or another, he rouses our vigilance and promptly we discover the cunning that is concealed.'

Tuesday: July 12, 2011

Interesting article regarding the overall health snd stress levels of those who live in cities compared to those who live out in those rural areas (read country). So what happens if you live in the suburbs of a major city? I'm sure it must be like having the best of both worlds all the time.

Monday: May 17, 2010

Covers everything from contemplative morning thinking to ditching the morning java and cranking out some push-ups. Fun fact: for the past five years GLM was exclusively done as a morning blog. Don't look so shocked.

Thursday: April 15, 2010

Good spelling is just one of the many casualties on this list that you'll come to discover on the other side of the click. Yes, the Interwebs have brought about some miraculous ruinings in it's short time on this planet.

Tuesday: April 13, 2010

National Geographic offers up roughly forty-eight ideas to maximize your next scenic drive experience for those so inclined. Of the forty-eight on this list I am proud to state that I can check off two (maybe three) items off of this list. Alright, maybe I'm not so proud - I need to get out more.

Monday: April 12, 2010

You don’t need hours of unbroken sleep as you age, but you do need a solid seven to nine hours of sleep when you get older. So if you do it a little bit at a time, napping in the afternoons, and getting sleep at night (even if it is disjointed) it can help you live longer.

Tuesday: March 30, 2010

Some top Google executives just do 5-minute meetings — anyone who attends these meetings had better be prepared, and concise. If you can get out of meetings and just get the notes, or find an alternative way to communicate, it could save you hours per week.